Services

Great North Air Ambulance sees surge in donations from wills

THE region is becoming better at talking about death, according to a charity which has seen a surge in donations from wills.

Within the space of a year, the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) has experienced a three-fold increase in the amount of money being donated by people leaving a legacy in their will.

Donations from wills now make up 42 per cent of all fundraising at GNAAS, with individual gifts ranging from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of pounds.

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The charity, which has its headquarters in Darlington, believes the increase is due to residents becoming more comfortable with discussing, and planning for, their death.

Sharon Munro, legacy fundraiser at GNAAS, said: “We are noticing more people getting in touch to discuss their plans.

"We are enormously grateful - it’s a massive boost to the charity, especially at a time when the sector is struggling to weather the financial storm.”

Comparing the past two financial years, the amount of individual donations in wills received by the charity has risen from 54 to 97.

“People seem to be more at ease in talking about their death,” added Mrs Munro. “I think it’s because people value the idea of leaving a tangible legacy behind them. The money is spent supporting the work of the helicopters and crews, so it is a potentially lifesaving contribution.

“But we are not complacent about the task before us - we need to raise £4m every year to keep the helicopters flying so we cannot just sit back and expect the public support to continue.”

The charity has responded to the upsurge by producing a brochure to guide residents through the process of leaving a gift to GNAAS in their will.

To receive one, call 01325-487263, email legacy@greatnorthairambulance.co.uk or visit the legacy section of the website at greatnorthairambulance.co.uk

*As of last week, GNAAS had completed 977 missions in 2012, an average of just less than three per day. This is slightly down on last year’s total, a decline which is being attributed largely to the wet summer, with less people taking part in outdoor pursuits.

Comments

[deleted]
4:29pm Wed 2 Jan 13

[deleted]

The air ambulance charity provides valuable assistance to the ambulance service, but most NHS staff do not think the GNAA charity Chief Executive should have earned a million pound salary over the last ten years. All taken from donations.
The GNAA charities accounts on the Charities Commision website show that the GNAA also pays £500,000 to five Office workers per year. Not the doctors or paramedics who are paid for by the government.
Half a million paid to 5 members of the office staff who also get free company cars.
How can the chief executive of the GNAA charity justify giving himself one million pounds, as well as the other 5 office workers so much money. Its a charity not a personal bank account.Northern Paramedic

The air ambulance charity provides valuable assistance to the ambulance service, but most NHS staff do not think the GNAA charity Chief Executive should have earned a million pound salary over the last ten years. All taken from donations.

The GNAA charities accounts on the Charities Commision website show that the GNAA also pays £500,000 to five Office workers per year. Not the doctors or paramedics who are paid for by the government.

Half a million paid to 5 members of the office staff who also get free company cars.

How can the chief executive of the GNAA charity justify giving himself one million pounds, as well as the other 5 office workers so much money. Its a charity not a personal bank account.

Score: 0

Hunty1
6:31pm Wed 2 Jan 13

One reason CEOs make so much money is the nature of the job behind the title. While most employees and supervisors understand their particular responsibilities for the company, a CEO needs to have a working knowledge of virtually every aspect of the company. This kind of knowledge is not gathered overnight, so an ideal CEO is someone who has extensively studied the industry as a whole and the inner workings of a specific company. A salary commensurate with this amount of expertise, education and vision may seem high to outsiders, but without a dedicated CEO at the top, the company could easily lose its focus.

Another reason CEOs make so much money is the business concept of paying for performance. Stockholders and other investors want to see their company remain profitable year after year, even when outside economic forces make it extremely difficult. CEOs who can successfully steer their companies through rough economic seas and still come out in the black are often rewarded with substantial performance bonuses and other financial incentives to insure their continued leadership and company loyalty.

There are some CEOs who technically earn little to no money in actual salaries. Because they already have considerable personal wealth, some CEOs ask only for a nominal annual salary for tax purposes. This rejection of a standard salary does not mean the CEO of a successful company such as Apple Computers or IBM will go penniless, however. CEOs often earn more money through profit-sharing plans, performance bonuses and patent or licensing royalties. By not accepting an actual yearly salary from the company, a CEO can appear to be motivated by other reasons beside personal gain.

While many CEOs do make so much money from their company's performance, they also understand their skills and business acumen are in large demand in the marketplace. Struggling companies routinely seek out talented CEOs with proven track records to help them avoid financial collapse. Because of this constant demand and short supply of qualified CEOs, many companies pay incredibly high salaries in order to keep their top executives satisfied. If a rival offers a company's CEO a significant raise in salary and benefits to jump ship, this offer may have to be matched or bettered in order to keep the CEO on board.

Overall, most CEOs make so much money because they have made numerous personal sacrifices over the years for the good of their companies and have earned the right to share in the profits. Some unscrupulous CEOs have no doubt exploited the system for personal gain, but for others the salaries they earn are commensurate with the responsibilities and risks associated with the ultimate corner office.

Long may GNAA last...

One reason CEOs make so much money is the nature of the job behind the title. While most employees and supervisors understand their particular responsibilities for the company, a CEO needs to have a working knowledge of virtually every aspect of the company. This kind of knowledge is not gathered overnight, so an ideal CEO is someone who has extensively studied the industry as a whole and the inner workings of a specific company. A salary commensurate with this amount of expertise, education and vision may seem high to outsiders, but without a dedicated CEO at the top, the company could easily lose its focus.
Another reason CEOs make so much money is the business concept of paying for performance. Stockholders and other investors want to see their company remain profitable year after year, even when outside economic forces make it extremely difficult. CEOs who can successfully steer their companies through rough economic seas and still come out in the black are often rewarded with substantial performance bonuses and other financial incentives to insure their continued leadership and company loyalty.
There are some CEOs who technically earn little to no money in actual salaries. Because they already have considerable personal wealth, some CEOs ask only for a nominal annual salary for tax purposes. This rejection of a standard salary does not mean the CEO of a successful company such as Apple Computers or IBM will go penniless, however. CEOs often earn more money through profit-sharing plans, performance bonuses and patent or licensing royalties. By not accepting an actual yearly salary from the company, a CEO can appear to be motivated by other reasons beside personal gain.
While many CEOs do make so much money from their company's performance, they also understand their skills and business acumen are in large demand in the marketplace. Struggling companies routinely seek out talented CEOs with proven track records to help them avoid financial collapse. Because of this constant demand and short supply of qualified CEOs, many companies pay incredibly high salaries in order to keep their top executives satisfied. If a rival offers a company's CEO a significant raise in salary and benefits to jump ship, this offer may have to be matched or bettered in order to keep the CEO on board.
Overall, most CEOs make so much money because they have made numerous personal sacrifices over the years for the good of their companies and have earned the right to share in the profits. Some unscrupulous CEOs have no doubt exploited the system for personal gain, but for others the salaries they earn are commensurate with the responsibilities and risks associated with the ultimate corner office.
Long may GNAA last...Hunty1

One reason CEOs make so much money is the nature of the job behind the title. While most employees and supervisors understand their particular responsibilities for the company, a CEO needs to have a working knowledge of virtually every aspect of the company. This kind of knowledge is not gathered overnight, so an ideal CEO is someone who has extensively studied the industry as a whole and the inner workings of a specific company. A salary commensurate with this amount of expertise, education and vision may seem high to outsiders, but without a dedicated CEO at the top, the company could easily lose its focus.

Another reason CEOs make so much money is the business concept of paying for performance. Stockholders and other investors want to see their company remain profitable year after year, even when outside economic forces make it extremely difficult. CEOs who can successfully steer their companies through rough economic seas and still come out in the black are often rewarded with substantial performance bonuses and other financial incentives to insure their continued leadership and company loyalty.

There are some CEOs who technically earn little to no money in actual salaries. Because they already have considerable personal wealth, some CEOs ask only for a nominal annual salary for tax purposes. This rejection of a standard salary does not mean the CEO of a successful company such as Apple Computers or IBM will go penniless, however. CEOs often earn more money through profit-sharing plans, performance bonuses and patent or licensing royalties. By not accepting an actual yearly salary from the company, a CEO can appear to be motivated by other reasons beside personal gain.

While many CEOs do make so much money from their company's performance, they also understand their skills and business acumen are in large demand in the marketplace. Struggling companies routinely seek out talented CEOs with proven track records to help them avoid financial collapse. Because of this constant demand and short supply of qualified CEOs, many companies pay incredibly high salaries in order to keep their top executives satisfied. If a rival offers a company's CEO a significant raise in salary and benefits to jump ship, this offer may have to be matched or bettered in order to keep the CEO on board.

Overall, most CEOs make so much money because they have made numerous personal sacrifices over the years for the good of their companies and have earned the right to share in the profits. Some unscrupulous CEOs have no doubt exploited the system for personal gain, but for others the salaries they earn are commensurate with the responsibilities and risks associated with the ultimate corner office.

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